The Carolina Panthers are holding their breath as rookie sensation Tetairoa McMillan nurses a minor hamstring strain that will sideline him for the team’s final preseason matchup. While the injury appears to be precautionary in nature, it serves as an early reminder of how crucial McMillan has become to Carolina’s offensive plans in just his first professional season.

From a fantasy football perspective, McMillan represents one of the most intriguing rookie investments available in 2025 drafts. His elite draft capital and physical comparisons to established stars like Mike Evans and Drake London have fantasy managers salivating over his potential ceiling as a future WR1.

What Is Tetairoa McMillan’s Injury?

The Panthers’ rookie wide receiver is dealing with a minor hamstring strain. McMillan is expected to be held out of the team’s final preseason game, but should be ready for Week 1. If McMillan missed any games, Jalen Coker could be thrust into a starting role.

The former college standout, who posted back-to-back 1,300-yard campaigns, is expected to be fully healthy for Week 1 when games truly matter. Should any setbacks occur, the Panthers would likely turn to Coker to fill the void in their receiving corps.

The Panthers’ likely defensive struggles could create a pass-heavy game script that benefits McMillan’s target share significantly. However, questions surrounding quarterback Bryce Young’s consistency and McMillan’s already-elevated draft position around the top-24 wide receivers create legitimate concerns about whether the rookie can deliver immediate value that justifies his current fantasy cost.

McMillan’s Fantasy Football Outlook

McMillan is a highly-touted wide receiver prospect with top-10 draft capital. He is a pass-catcher coming off consecutive 1,300-plus-yard seasons in college. Drawing comparisons to Evans and London, McMillan is exactly what you want in a future alpha WR1.

The runway is clear for heavy targets as the top option for an improving Panthers offense. When you consider that this team is likely to struggle on defense and be forced into more shootouts, you have to like the situation for McMillan in Year 1.

📈 Tetairoa McMillan

Current Yahoo ADP: 76.1

The one concern with McMillan as a prospect was separation. He proved that concern wrong in the preseason when he cooked Derek Stingley.

He’s the clear alpha and Young was ascending at end of last year 🚀pic.twitter.com/i7KD2mVje5

— All Goats FF 🏈 (@AllGoatsFF) August 23, 2025

The one concern I have is with Young. Yes, Young showed significant improvement in the second half last year, which gives me optimism going forward, but we can’t just dismiss his larger sample of poor play. McMillan is already priced up as a top-24 wideout in fantasy drafts, so a strong season is already baked into his ADP.

While this is a relatively fair cost, there’s not much of a value here, so that’s something worth noting. Essentially, it comes down to whether or not you’re willing to take a rookie over proven producers like DeVonta Smith.